The Myth of Sisyphus (1942), Absurd Creation
Context: Ironic philosophies produce passionate works.
Any thought that abandons unity glorifies diversity! And diversity is the home of art. The only thought to liberate the mind is that which leaves it alone, certain of its limits and of its impending end. No doctrine tempts it. It awaits the ripening of the work and of life. <!-- 116
“Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.”
“The doctrine of the utter vanity of life is a doctrine of despair, and life is hope.”
Source: Aphorisms and Reflections (1901), p. 32
“Free yourself from the complexities of your life! A life of simplicity and happiness awaits you.”
Source: Life, the Truth, and Being Free (2010), p. 38
“Dangers await only those who do not react to life.”
Speech in East Berlin (7 October 1989), in German: Gefahren warten nur auf jene, die nicht auf das Leben reagieren, but often cited as "Wer zu spät kommt, den bestraft das Leben", hence the English translation: "He who comes too late is punished by life". (Frankfurter Allgemeine, 3 October 2004) http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/15-jahre-danach-wer-zu-spaet-kommt-den-bestraft-das-leben-1191290.html
1980s
Reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 194.
As quoted in Nobel, Dynamite and Peace (1929) by Ragnar Sohlman and Henrik Schück, as translated by Brian Lunn and Beatrix Lunn, p. 249; also quoted by Lester B. Pearson in his address on accepting the Nobel Peace Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway (10 December 1957) http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1957/pearson-acceptance.html.
“Work is when you confront the problems you might otherwise be tempted to run away from”
Source: Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
